Hispanic Heritage Month 2016: Epilepsy in the Hispanic American Community

In the U.S., 3 million people live with epilepsy and approximately 400,000 or 13% are Hispanic.

Recognizing the need to educate and support Hispanics with epilepsy, the Epilepsy Foundation is collaborating with seven of our local organizations, health care professionals, and our Professional Advisory Board to raise awareness in Hispanic communities on college campuses. The program, called “Epilepsy Awareness on College Campuses in Hispanic Serving Institutions,” seeks to

• Increase the recognition of seizure signals and symptoms
• Increase awareness and knowledge of epilepsy in the Hispanic community
• Reduce fear and misunderstanding surrounding epilepsy and seizures

Students at the participating colleges learn how to recognize seizures, how to perform basic seizure first aid, and how to respond to seizures. Students living with epilepsy are also encouraged to share their stories to help others understand. Find information in Spanish about epilepsy and seizures in Spanish here.